A Cool Rock in a Shady Spot

Yes, I must agree with Sid, our sleeping yellow cat and the other animals at Front Forty. This is exactly what kind of week it has been, the kind where you want to find a cool rock in a shady spot and take a nap.  The high temperatures and humidity make for lazy-feeling days,  Although I am not complaining (this summer loving mama never complains when summer offers us its best), but I do feel a bit sorry for Little #2 and #3 who started double-session soccer practices this week.  They are handling it quite well, though, and are pushing through it like little troopers with very little complaining.  Lots of lemon water and watermelon have been consumed; bathing suits are the preferred attire, and the porch hammock is the favorite spot.

In spite of the heat, I have spent much of my week in the kitchen canning and pickling.  The cucumbers are producing like crazy at the moment, but much to my dismay, I believe they (and my tomatoes) are infected with verticillium wilt. I am trying to harvest and pickle as many as I can before the plants succumb to the disease. After doing some research, I think I may have discovered that this dreaded verticillim wilt is the culprit responsible for killing my cucumbers and tomatoes the past few years.  I'm not happy about this, but I am relieved to finally have an answer.  The process of getting rid of the fungi is slow, and Hubby and I are discussing the best method for doing so...more on that later...back to the pickles.  Garlic dills, sweet spears, and bread and butter pickles are filling the shelves of the pantry along with jars of mixed vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, onions, beans, and zucchini) and dilly beans.  I have used the traditional pickling method, but I would like to eventually try fermentation.  I am still trying to recuperate from a fermentation-gone-bad experience, so I haven't quite dared step into that new realm of preservation yet...maybe next summer. I would love any suggestions you may have for books and/or resources on the process of fermentation.

Last night Hubby and I took a few minutes to sit on the porch before the mosquitos bombarded us, and we were commenting on how lush and vibrant everything was...the gardens, the pastures, the woods, the lawn...everything is so full.  It's hard to believe that all that green foliage, all that color eventually fades, and we are left with a white and grey landscape.  I asked him, "Which is harder to imagine, summer during the frigid, white days of winter, or winter during the lush, warm days of summer?" We are undecided. 

Oh, so busy...

Happy Friday to you all! I am just quickly checking in to say, "hello", and let you know I have not forgotten you all.  I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up with posting. It's not for lack of wanting to; life has just kept me so very busy...a good busy, though.

Beans, squash, zucchini, red potatoes, garlic, kale, chard, lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, and lots of herbs are being harvested, almost daily, from the gardens.  Looking forward to tomatoes soon,

Dilly beans and pickles are filling the pantry shelves.  Kale, broccoli and beans are going into the freezer.  Parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, and sage are drying and filling the herb jars.

A mama and daddy Rose-breasted grosbeak have brought their family of little ones to our feeders. What a joy it has been watching them each day!

Our eldest daughter celebrated her 19th birthday...19th!!!  Where does the time go?

Work on the addition continues...cedar shingles and trim going up this coming week.

A clutch of keets (baby guinea fowl) were warmly welcomed to the farm a few weeks ago.

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Little #2 and #5 brought home a stray kitten they found while on a bike ride.  The poor little thing had been hit by a car.  She is currently at the vet, and we are all praying for a small miracle for her.

Wildflowers are being brought in daily and placed all around the house.

I have been trying to stay updated on Instagram, with lots of garden related posts, so feel free to come by and visit me there from time to time.  I'd love to see you.

April

Good morning!  It's been a horribly long time since I have posted, and I have missed you all.  I do hope all of you are well and are enjoying the wonderful change from winter to spring.   It is so nice to see the ground again and smell the thawing earth, to hear the rushing waters of the nearby river and the early morning songs of the birds.  It is still a bit chilly here in our corner, but that is okay.  The season has changed and spring has sprung! 

When I sat down to write, I wasn't sure where to begin...so much has happened over the past month... so I decided to share a short overview of the highlights for the month of April.

Trees were tapped; sap boiled; maple syrup enjoyed (sometimes by the tablespoon full).

Puppies were born.

Birthdays were celebrated (two for us in the month of April).

Another trip to Children's Hospital was taken and tough decisions were made. 
Surgery was undergone and recuperating took place.

Our first red cardinal was joyfully spotted on the farm (I have been trying to attract this beautiful bird to our property for many years...hoping he will return).

Snow melted; buds swelled; eggs were laid; spring arrived.

Looking forward to the month of May!

Pressing Cider

Hubby has talked about and dreamed of pressing his own cider for years now, and he finally was able to do it this past weekend.  The past few Sunday afternoons he has been in the barn building his cider press from a kit purchased on eBay a few years ago (I'm sorry I don't have a link for you.). Although he found things that he would change if he should build one again, the press turned out beautifully, and this past Sunday it was ready to go. The kids and he had picked drops from local apple trees (maybe someday we will be able to use our own), ones that would have been left on the ground to rot, and everyone was excited to see how the new press would work.  In went the apples, round and round went the crank, down went the press, and, finally, out came the sweet liquid that all had been anxiously anticipating.  Some enjoyed it cold; others drank it warm with a hint of cinnamon.  We were able to press about half of the apples collected before darkness settled in, producing about a gallon of cider, and the rest of the apples will be pressed this coming weekend.  Hubby finally accomplished his goal of pressing his own cider, and what a good feeling to, yet again, use the bounties around us that otherwise would be considered unusable (except to the deer and turkeys, of course, which we were obliged to leave some for).

I would like to thank you all for your overwhelmingly thoughtful and encouraging comments you left on my last post.  Your kind words have inspired to me keep writing, regardless of how much or how frequent (or infrequent) it may be.  I do hope, with the coming winter and many snowed-in days, I will slowly find more time for writing. Thanks so much for your faithful visits and comments.

First Apple Harvest

I do believe a new season is upon us.  With two frosty nights and chilly days, we are feeling the nudges of autumn. We lit a fire in the wood stove last night, and the Littles were sprawled out on the floor around it with blankets and pillows and cats curled up in between, soaking in the comforting warmth. With the nips of frost we have had, the garden is quickly coming to a close, and I am trying to harvest what I can as quickly as possible.  On Saturday I picked almost all of the tomatoes and made more roasted tomato sauce; more herbs came in for drying, and we picked our first harvest of apples.

We have been having a difficult time with our little apple orchard, Five of our trees died, for various reasons, and out of the two remaining healthy trees, only one produced apples.  It was, however, our very first harvest, and, although the apples didn't have the flavor we hoped they would have, we were thrilled to actually pick apples from our own tree.  I'm not sure why the apples lack in flavor. If they are lacking in nutrients, if the soil was too dry, if it was an issue related to pollination, we are just not sure, but Hubby and I will research more to ensure tasty fruit in years to come.  I decided the best thing to do with the lack luster apples was to make apple butter.  Having never made it before, I turned to my trusty, old faithful book on canning, the Ball Blue Book, and found a recipe for Caramel Spiced Apple Butter (I found the recipe online here if you'd like to try it).  Sunday morning's breakfast of eggs and sausage tasted so much better with the addition of apple-butter-slathered toast, and five quarts of this tasty preserve went into the pantry for later use. What a gratifying feeling it is, to not only grow and preserve one's own food, but to make use of the bounties of nature, even apples that are less than perfect.